Transaction terminal silent alert systems

ABSTRACT

A transaction terminal silent alarm system having processor(s) and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor(s), cause the system to perform a method is disclosed. Upon receiving, from a user device, an authentication request to complete a transaction at a transaction terminal, the system may determine whether a fingerprint scan matches a stored fingerprint. Responsive to the fingerprint scan matching a stored normal fingerprint and absent receiving another fingerprint that matches a stored cancellation fingerprint, the system may direct the transaction terminal to complete the transaction. Responsive to the fingerprint scan matching a stored under-duress fingerprint, the system may direct the transaction terminal to send a silent alert to law enforcement and direct the transaction terminal to delay the transaction. Responsive to the fingerprint scan not matching any stored fingerprints, the system may direct the user device to display a fingerprint rescan message.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/020,347, filed Jun. 27, 2018, which is fully incorporated byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to systems andmethods for providing a silent automated teller machine (“ATM”) andpoint-of-sale (“POS”) terminal alert system, more particularly systemsand methods utilizing fingerprint scans for determining when atransaction is being conducted under duress, triggering a silent alarmand altering the transaction process for an under-duress transaction,and allowing a user to cancel the silent alarm in response to a falsealarm.

BACKGROUND

The advent of the automated teller machine (“ATM”) has made it possiblefor banking withdrawals to be made without interacting with a human bankteller. For example, a user may use an ATM to make withdrawals ordeposits from a checking or savings account and to determine an accountbalance. Point-of-sale (“POS”) terminals and systems use a similartechnology to directly debit a user's bank account enabling users tomake purchases of goods (e.g., gasoline, groceries, consumerelectronics, etc.) or services (e.g., car cleaning, yoga class, etc.).

To withdraw funds from an ATM, a user typically presents (e.g., scans,swipes, or inserts) an identification card that was issued by anassociated financial service provider and enters a personalidentification number (“PIN”) that is stored in a secure database. Uponsuccessful entry of the PIN associated with the presented identificationcard, the ATM prompts the user to select an associated financial accountand perform one or more preset tasks (e.g., withdrawing funds, checkingan account balance, etc.).

While helpful in securely and efficiently withdrawing funds from an ATMor conducting a transaction at a POS terminal for most situations, thetransaction authorization process described above has some limitations.For example, a user may be forced to enter or divulge his or heridentifying PIN to a third party when the third party threatens orpressures the user to conduct a transaction on the third party's behalf.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved alert systems for identifyingand responding to transactions being made under duress at a transactionterminal (e.g., ATM or POS terminal). Embodiments of the presentdisclosure are directed to this and other considerations.

SUMMARY

Disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods for providing a silenttransaction terminal alert system.

Consistent with the disclosed embodiments, a transaction terminal silentalarm system may include one or more processors and a memory incommunication with the one or more processors and storing instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured tocause the system to perform steps of a method for triggering a silentalert for an under-duress transaction at a transaction terminal. As auser electing, either by choice or under duress, to conduct atransaction (e.g., withdraw funds) at a transaction terminal (e.g., anATM or POS terminal) initiates the transaction process using his or heruser device (e.g., mobile phone), the system may receive, from a userdevice, an authentication request to complete the transaction at thetransaction terminal. The authentication request may include afingerprint scan (or another biometric identifier used in lieu of or inaddition to a financial service provider issued card) obtained via theuser device and financial account data for a financial accountassociated with the user device. The system may determine whether thefingerprint scan matches, beyond a predetermined confidence threshold,one of a plurality of stored fingerprints associated with the userdevice (e.g., one or more stored fingerprint scans of the user's indexfinger, ring finger, and pinky finger associated with the user and userdevice). The plurality of stored fingerprints includes a stored normalfingerprint scan (e.g., left and/or right index finger), a storedunder-duress fingerprint scan (e.g., left and/or right ring finger) fortriggering an under-duress transaction signal, and a stored cancellationfingerprint scan (e.g., left and/or right pinky finger) for cancellingthe under-duress transaction signal. A group of one or more fingerprints(e.g., left and right index finger) may be assigned to exactly one typeof fingerprint scan (e.g., normal, under-duress, or cancellationfingerprint scan). The system may (1) determine that the fingerprintscan matches the stored normal fingerprint scan and direct thetransaction terminal to complete the transaction in response.Alternatively, the system may (2) determine that the fingerprint scanmatches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan and, in response,direct the transaction terminal to delay the transaction a predeterminedcancellation time period within which the under-duress transactionsignal can be cancelled. For example, the system may wait 15 secondsafter receiving a fingerprint scan associated with the under-duresstransaction signal before taking further action to allow the user toscan another fingerprint (e.g., of the user's pinky finger) to cancelthe under-duress transaction signal. In response to receiving asubsequent fingerprint scan (e.g., of the user's pinky finger) from theuser device within the cancellation time period, the system maydetermine whether the subsequent fingerprint scan matches the storedcancellation fingerprint scan beyond the predetermined confidencethreshold. Based on this determination (e.g., upon determining that thesubsequent scan matches the user's stored pinky finger scan), the systemmay direct the transaction terminal to complete the transaction anddirect the user device to display an under-duress transaction signalcancellation message. However, in response to not receiving thesubsequent fingerprint scan within the predetermined cancellation timeperiod, the system may (a) direct the transaction terminal to delay thetransaction for a predetermined wait time (e.g., 3 minutes or acustomized wait time determined by the system) before completing thetransaction and (b) send an alert notification to law enforcement.Alternatively, the system may (3) determine that the fingerprint scandoes not match one of the stored fingerprints and in response, directthe user device to display a fingerprint rescan message.

Consistent with the disclosed embodiments, methods for triggering asilent alert for an under-duress transaction at a transaction terminalare also disclosed.

Further features of the disclosed design, and the advantages offeredthereby, are explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference tospecific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinlike elements are indicated be like reference designators.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and which are incorporated into andconstitute a portion of this disclosure, illustrate variousimplementations and aspects of the disclosed technology and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosedtechnology. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system that may be used forproviding a silent transaction terminal (e.g., ATM or POS terminal)alert;

FIG. 2 is a component diagram of an exemplary financial service providersystem;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of using a silenttransaction terminal alert system, according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of adjusting thepredetermined wait time for conducting a transaction made under duressusing the silent transaction terminal alert system, according to someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some implementations of the disclosed technology will be described morefully with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosedtechnology may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein. Thecomponents described hereinafter as making up various elements of thedisclosed technology are intended to be illustrative and notrestrictive. Many suitable components that would perform the same orsimilar functions as components described herein are intended to beembraced within the scope of the disclosed electronic devices andmethods. Such other components not described herein may include, but arenot limited to, for example, components developed after development ofthe disclosed technology.

It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more method stepsdoes not preclude the presence of additional method steps or interveningmethod steps between those steps expressly identified. Similarly, it isalso to be understood that the mention of one or more components in adevice or system does not preclude the presence of additional componentsor intervening components between those components expressly identified.

The disclosed embodiments are directed to systems and methods forproviding a silent alert in response to a transaction being made underduress at a transaction terminal (e.g., an ATM or POS terminal). In oneaspect, a transaction terminal silent alarm system is disclosed.Specifically, the system may include one or more processors and a memoryin communication with the processor(s) and storing instructions that,when executed by the processor(s), are configured to cause the system toperform the steps of a method. For example, the system may receive, froma user device, an authentication request to complete a transaction at atransaction terminal. The authentication request may include afingerprint scan obtained via the user device and financial account datafor a financial account associated with the user device. The system maydetermine whether the fingerprint scan matches, beyond a predeterminedconfidence threshold, one of a plurality of stored fingerprintsassociated with the user device. The plurality of stored fingerprintsmay include a stored normal fingerprint scan, a stored under-duressfingerprint scan for triggering an under-duress transaction signal, anda stored cancellation fingerprint scan for cancelling the under-duresstransaction signal. The system may (1) determine that the fingerprintscan matches the stored normal fingerprint scan and direct thetransaction terminal to complete the transaction in response.Alternatively, the system may (2) determine that the fingerprint scanmatches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan and, in response, thesystem may direct the transaction terminal to delay the transaction apredetermined cancellation time period within which the under-duresstransaction signal can be cancelled. In response to receiving asubsequent fingerprint scan from the user device falling within thecancellation time period, the system may determine whether thesubsequent fingerprint scan matches the stored cancellation fingerprintscan beyond the predetermined confidence threshold. Based on thisdetermination, the system may direct the transaction terminal tocomplete the transaction and direct the user device to display anunder-duress transaction signal cancellation message. In response to notreceiving the subsequent fingerprint scan within the predeterminedcancellation time period, the system may direct the transaction terminalto delay the transaction for a predetermined wait time before completingthe transaction and send an alert notification to law enforcement.Alternatively, the system may (3) determine that the fingerprint scandoes not match one of the stored fingerprints, and in response, directthe user device to display a fingerprint rescan message.

In some embodiments, the transaction terminal may be an ATM terminal. Insuch embodiments, the alert notification sent to law enforcement mayinclude a location of the ATM terminal and GPS data obtained from theuser device. In other embodiments, the transaction terminal may be apoint-of-sale (POS) terminal.

In some embodiments the alert notification sent to law enforcement mayinclude an indication of when the predetermined wait time will expire.The system may be further configured to receive, from a law enforcementdevice, a suggested predetermined wait time extension and adjust thepredetermined wait time based on the suggested predetermined wait timeextension.

In some embodiments, the system may be further configured to direct theATM terminal to activate one or more audiovisual recording systems (e.g.video camera, audio recorder, or both) that are associated with the ATMterminal in response to determining that the fingerprint scan matchesthe stored under-duress fingerprint scan. Further, the system may beconfigured to direct at least one of a plurality of nearby ATM terminalswithin a predetermined range of the ATM terminal to activate audiovisualmonitoring systems associated with the nearby ATM terminal(s).

In some embodiments, the system is further configured to direct the userdevice to silently activate one or more of an audio recording componentand a video recording component of the user device in response todetermining that the fingerprint scan matches the stored under-duressfingerprint scan. In some embodiments, the activation of the audiorecording and video recording systems on the user device may beperformed without providing a visual indication. In some embodiments,the activation of the audio recording and video recording systems mayinclude directing the user device to display a coded message based on apre-transaction user input.

In some embodiments, the system is further configured to direct the userdevice to silently provide a confirmation notification of theunder-duress transaction signal in the form of a vibration responsive tothe system determining that the fingerprint scan matches the storedunder-duress fingerprint scan.

In some embodiments, the system is further configured to direct the userdevice to silently display a coded message based on a pre-transactionuser input in response to determining that the fingerprint scan matchesthe stored under-duress fingerprint scan. The coded message mayrepresent a confirmation of the under-duress transaction signal.

In another aspect, an alarm system for a transaction terminal indisclosed. Specifically, the system may include one or more processorsand a memory in communication with the processor(s) and storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor(s), are configured tocause the system to perform the steps of a method. For example, thesystem may receive an authentication request to complete a transactionat the transaction terminal from a user device. The authenticationrequest may include a fingerprint scan obtained via the user device. Thesystem may determine whether the fingerprint scan matches a storedfingerprint associated with the user device. The stored fingerprints mayinclude a stored normal fingerprint scan, a stored under-duressfingerprint scan for sending an under-duress signal, and a storedcancellation fingerprint scan for cancelling the under-duress signal. Inresponse to (1) matching the fingerprint scan with the stored normalfingerprint scan, the system may direct the transaction terminal tocomplete the transaction. In response to (2) matching the fingerprintscan with the stored under-duress fingerprint scan, the system maydetermine whether any subsequent fingerprint scan obtained via the userdevice within a predetermined cancellation time period matches thestored cancellation fingerprint scan. Based on the determination thatthe under-duress signal is not cancelled, the system may (a) send analert notification to law enforcement, (b) obtain GPS data from the userdevice, (c) determine an estimated travel time for law enforcement toarrive at the transaction terminal, and (d) direct the transactionterminal to delay the transaction for a predetermined wait time based onthe GPS data and the estimated travel time. In response to (3) notmatching the fingerprint scan with one of the stored fingerprints, thesystem may direct the user device to display a fingerprint rescanmessage.

In some embodiments, the transaction terminal may be a point-of-sale(POS) terminal and, in response to matching the fingerprint scan withthe stored under-duress fingerprint scan, the system is furtherconfigured to direct the POS terminal to display a silent alertnotification indicating that the transaction is occurring under duress.In other embodiments, the transactional terminal is an ATM terminal andthe alert notification sent to law enforcement includes a location ofthe ATM terminal and the GPS data received from the user device.

In some embodiments, the alert notification sent to law enforcementfurther includes an indication of when the predetermined wait time willexpire. The system may be further configured to receive from a lawenforcement device, a suggested predetermined wait time extension andadjust the predetermined wait time based on the suggested predeterminedwait time extension.

In yet another aspect, a method for triggering a silent alert for anunder-duress transaction at a transaction terminal is disclosed. Themethod may include receiving, from a user device, an authenticationrequest to complete a transaction at the transaction terminal. Thetransaction terminal request may include a fingerprint scan obtained viathe user device. The method may include determining whether thefingerprint scan matches a stored fingerprint associated with the userdevice. The stored fingerprints may include a stored normal fingerprintscan, a stored under-duress fingerprint scan corresponding to anunder-duress transaction signal, and a stored cancellation fingerprintscan for cancelling the under-duress signal. The method may includedirecting the transaction terminal to complete the transaction when (1)the fingerprint scan matches with the stored normal fingerprint scan.Alternatively, when (2) the fingerprint scan matches the storedunder-duress fingerprint scan, the method may include determiningwhether a subsequent fingerprint scan obtained by the user device withina predetermined cancellation time period matches the stored cancellationfingerprint scan. Based on a determination that the subsequentfingerprint scan does not match the stored cancellation fingerprint scanwithin the predetermined cancellation time, the method may include (a)obtaining GPS data from the user device, (b) sending an alertnotification to law enforcement, (c) directing the transaction terminalto delay the transaction for a predetermined wait time based on the GPSdata, and (d) directing one or more of the transaction terminal and theuser mobile device to activate one or more recording systems (i.e.,audio recording, visual recording, or both). Alternatively, when (3) thefingerprint scan does not match one of the plurality of storedfingerprints, the method may include directing the user device todisplay a fingerprint rescan message.

In some embodiments, the transaction terminal includes one or more of anATM terminal and a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. In some embodiments,the alert notification sent to law enforcement includes a location ofthe transaction terminal and the GPS data obtained from the user device.

In some embodiments, the method may further include directing the userdevice to activate one or more recording components (i.e., audiorecording, visual recording, or both) of the user device withoutproviding auditory or visual feedback responsive to determining that thefingerprint scan matches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan.

In some embodiments, the method may further include determining anestimated travel time for law enforcement to arrive at the transactionterminal. The method may include determining an appropriatepredetermined wait time from a list of potential predetermined waittimes based on the GPS data and the estimated travel time and directingthe transaction terminal to display one or more predetermined messagesassociated with the appropriate determined wait time. The one or morepredetermined messages may include at least one fake login routine thatrequires user input to proceed.

Although some of the above embodiments are described with respect tosystems, it is contemplated that embodiments with identical orsubstantially similar features may alternatively be implemented asmethods and/or non-transitory computer-readable media, and vice versa.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of thedisclosed technology, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and disclosed herein. Wherever convenient, thesame references numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer tothe same or like parts.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an exemplary system that may be configured toperform one or more software processes that, when executed, provide asilent transaction terminal alert. The components and arrangements shownin FIG. 1 are not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments as thecomponents used to implement the disclosed processes and features mayvary.

In accordance with disclosed embodiments a silent transaction terminalalert system 100 may include a user device 110, a financial serviceprovider system 120, a transaction terminal 130, one or more nearbytransaction terminal(s) 140, and a law enforcement device 150, eachcommunicating over a network 160. According to some embodiments, theuser device 110 may be associated with a user that desires, based onfree will or under duress, to conduct a transaction at a transactionterminal (e.g., a POS terminal or an ATM). In some embodiments, the usermay have an account (e.g., a bank account) that is associated with afinancial service provider corresponding to the financial serviceprovider system 120. The user device 110 may be connected to thefinancial service provider system 120, the transaction terminal 130, thenearby transaction terminal 140 and the law enforcement device 150directly or via the network 160. The financial service provider system120 may be connected to the transaction terminal 130, the nearbytransaction terminal 140, and the law enforcement device 150 directly orvia the network 160. Other components known to one of ordinary skill inthe art may be included in the silent transaction terminal alert system100 to process, transmit, provide, and receive information consistentwith the disclosed embodiments.

The user device 110 may be a computer-based system. For example, theuser device 110 may include a general purpose or notebook computer, amobile device with computing ability, a server, a desktop computer,tablet, or any combination of these computers and/or affiliatedcomponents. The user device 110 may include one or more sensors such asa camera and microphone (i.e., audiovisual monitoring systems),gyroscope and/or a GPS receiver. The user device 110 may be configuredwith storage that stores one or more operating systems that performknown operating system functions when executing by one or moreprocessors. For example, the operating systems may include MicrosoftWindows™, Unix™, Linux™, Apple™ operating systems, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA) type operating systems (e.g. Mircosoft CE.™), or othertypes of operating systems, nonexclusively. Further, the user device 110may include communication software that, when executed by a processor,provides communications with the network 160, such as web browsersoftware, tablet, or smart handheld device networking software, etc. Theuser device 110 may be a device that executes mobile applications, suchas a tablet or a mobile device. Although reference is made specificallyto the user device 110, a person of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that the financial service provider system 120, thetransaction terminal 130, the nearby transaction terminal 140, and thelaw enforcement device 150 may have some or all of the components andcapabilities of the user device 110.

The financial service provider system 120 may allow a financial serviceprovider, such as a bank, a credit card company, a merchant, a lender,etc., to offer and provide a secure transaction terminal authenticationsystem in order to more effectively secure a user's financialtransactions. The financial service provider system 120 may be acomputer-based system including computer system components, such as oneor more servers, desktop computers, workstations, tablets, hand heldcomputing devices, memory devices, and/or internal network(s) connectingthe components. As shown in FIG. 1, the financial service providersystem 120 may include a server 122 and/or an authentication database124. An authentication database 124, which may be an internal orexternal database with respect to financial service provider system 120,may provide a database of credentials, such as, for example, biometricdata (e.g. fingerprint scans), usernames, logins, passwords, pinnumbers, account numbers, security questions, and other financial datawhich may be used to verify the user's identity, ensuring greatersecurity for a user's financial transactions at the transaction terminal130.

The transaction terminal 130 may be associated with an ATM that mayallow a user to withdraw cash from an account associated with afinancial service provider. Similarly, the transaction terminal 130 maybe associated with a POS terminal that may allow a user to make apayment in exchange for goods or services or withdraw funds in additionto purchasing goods or services. The transaction terminal 130 mayinclude one or more I/O devices that may include one or more interfacesfor receiving signals or inputs from devices and providing signals oroutput to one or more devices that allow data to be received andtransmitted by an input device, such as a keyboard or a touch screen.The transaction terminal 130 may be a computer-based system includingcomputer system components, such as one or more servers, desktopcomputers, workstations, tablets, mobile computing devices, memorydevices, and/or internal network(s) connecting the components.

Network 160 may comprise any type of computer networking arrangementused to exchange data. For example, network 160 may be the Internet, aprivate data network, or a virtual private network using a publicnetwork such as the Internet. Network 160 may also include a publicswitched telephone network (“PSTN”) and/or a wireless network.

To communicate over network 160, a computing device associated with userdevice 110, financial service provider system 120, transaction terminal130, nearby transaction terminal 140, and law enforcement device 150 maybe a mobile computing device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet computer,smart wearable device, or portable laptop computer) or a stationarycomputing device (e.g., a stationary desktop or laptop computer). Beingmobile, in some embodiments, may advantageously allow the user device110 to communicate with other devices in the system 100 from apredetermined location or area (e.g., at an ATM or POS location).

The financial service provider system 120 is shown in more detail inFIG. 2. The user device 110, the transaction terminal 130, the nearbytransaction terminal 140, and the law enforcement device 150 all mayhave a similar structure and components that are similar to thosedescribed with respect to financial service provider terminal 120. Asshown, financial service provider system 120 may include a processor210, an input/output (“I/O”) device 220, a memory 230 containing anoperating system (“OS”) 240 and a program 250. For example, financialservice provider system 120 may be a single server or may be configuredas a distributed computer system including multiple servers or computersthat interoperate to perform one or more of the processes andfunctionalities associated with the disclosed embodiments. In someembodiments, the financial service provider system 120 may furtherinclude a display (or a display interface), a peripheral interface, atransceiver, a mobile network interface in communication with theprocessor 210, a bus configured to facilitate communication between thevarious components of the financial service provider system 120, and apower source configured to power one or more components of the financialservice provider system 120. A display may include any conventionaldisplay mechanism such as a flat panel display, projector, or any otherdisplay mechanism known to those having ordinary skill in the art. Insome embodiments, a display, in conjunction with suitable storedinstructions, may be used to implement a graphical user interface. Inother embodiments, a display may include a display interface configuredto receive or communicate with one or more external displays. Thefinancial service provider terminal may further include a soundinterface, a camera interface, a telephony subsystem, an antennainterface, and a GPS receiver.

A peripheral interface may include the hardware, firmware and/orsoftware that enables communication with various peripheral devices,such as media drives (e.g., magnetic disk, solid state, or optical diskdrives), other processing devices, or any other input source used inconnection with the instant techniques. In some embodiments, aperipheral interface may include a serial port, a parallel port, ageneral purpose input and output (GPIO) port, a game port, a universalserial bus (USB), a micro-USB port, a high definition multimedia (HDMI)port, a video port, an audio port, a Bluetooth port, a near-fieldcommunication (NFC) port, another like communication interface, or anycombination thereof.

In some embodiments, a transceiver may be configured to communicate withcompatible devices and ID tags when they are within a predeterminedrange. A transceiver may be, for example, compatible with one or moreof: radio-frequency identification (RFID), near-field communication(NFC), Bluetooth®, low-energy Bluetooth® (BLE), WiFi™, ZigBee®, ambientbackscatter communications (ABC) protocols or similar technologies.

A mobile network interface may provide access to a cellular network, theInternet, or another wide-area network. In some embodiments, a mobilenetwork interface may include hardware, firmware, and/or software thatallows the processor(s) 210 to communicate with other devices via wiredor wireless networks, whether local or wide area, private or public, asknown in the art. A power source may be configured to provide anappropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to powercomponents.

Processor 120 may include one or more of a microprocessor,microcontroller, digital signal processor, co-processor or the like orcombinations thereof capable of executing stored instructions andoperating upon stored data. Memory 230 may include, in someimplementations, one or more suitable types of memory (e.g. such asvolatile or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read onlymemory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks,floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash memory, aredundant array of independent disks (RAID), and the like), for storingfiles including an operating system, application programs (including,for example, a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, andor other applications, as necessary), executable instructions and data.In one embodiment, the processing techniques described herein areimplemented as a combination of executable instructions and data withinthe memory 230.

Processor 210 may be one or more known processing devices, such as amicroprocessor from the Pentium™ family manufactured by Intel™ or theRyzen™ family manufactured by AMD™. Processor 210 may constitute asingle core or multiple core processor that executes parallel processessimultaneously. For example, processor 210 may be a single coreprocessor that is configured with virtual processing technologies. Incertain embodiments, processor 210 may use logical processors tosimultaneously execute and control multiple processes. Processor 210 mayimplement virtual machine technologies, or other similar knowntechnologies to provide the ability to execute, control, run,manipulate, store, etc. multiple software processes, applications,programs, etc. In another embodiment, processor 210 may include amultiple-core processor arrangement (e.g., dual or quad core) that isconfigured to provide parallel processing functionalities to allowserver 200 to execute multiple processes simultaneously. One of ordinaryskill in the art would understand that other types of processorarrangements could be implemented that provide for the capabilitiesdisclosed herein.

Financial service provider system 120 may include one or more storagedevices configured to store information used by processor 210 (or othercomponents) to perform certain functions related to the disclosedembodiments. In one example, financial service provider system 120 mayinclude memory 230 that includes instructions to enable processor 210 toexecute one or more applications, such as server applications, networkcommunication processes, and any other type of application or softwareknown to be available on computer systems. Alternatively, theinstructions, application programs, etc. may be stored in an externalstorage or available from a memory over a network. The one or morestorage devices may be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic,semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type ofstorage device or tangible computer-readable medium.

In one embodiment, financial service provider system 120 includes memory230 that includes instructions that, when executed by processor 210,perform one or more processes consistent with the functionalitiesdisclosed herein. Methods, systems, and articles of manufactureconsistent with disclosed embodiments are not limited to separateprograms or computers configured to perform dedicated tasks. Forexample, financial service provider system 120 may include memory 230that may include one or more programs 250 to perform one or morefunctions of the disclosed embodiments. Moreover, processor 210 mayexecute one or more programs 250 located remotely from the silenttransaction terminal alert system 100. For example, the system 100 mayaccess one or more remote programs 250, that, when executed, performfunctions related to disclosed embodiments.

Memory 230 may include one or more memory devices that store data andinstructions used to perform one or more features of the disclosedembodiments. Memory 230 may also include any combination of one or moredatabases controlled by memory controller devices (e.g., server(s),etc.) or software, such as document management systems, Microsoft SQLdatabases, SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases,or other relational databases. Memory 230 may include softwarecomponents that, when executed by processor 210, perform one or moreprocesses consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Financial service provider system 120 may also be communicativelyconnected to one or more memory devices (e.g., databases (not shown))locally or through a network (e.g., network 160). The remote memorydevices may be configured to store information and may be accessedand/or managed by financial service provider system 120. By way ofexample, the remote memory devices may be document management systems,Microsoft SQL database, SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™databases, or other relational databases. Systems and methods consistentwith disclosed embodiments, however, are not limited to separatedatabases or even to the use of a database.

Financial service provider system 120 may also include one or more I/Odevices 220 that may comprise one or more interfaces for receivingsignals or input from devices and providing signals or output to one ormore devices that allow data to be received and/or transmitted byfinancial service provider system 120. For example, financial serviceprovider system 120 may include interface components, which may provideinterfaces to one or more input devices, such as one or more keyboards,mouse devices, touch screens, track pads, trackballs, scroll wheels,digital cameras, microphones, sensors, and the like, that enablefinancial service provider system 120 to receive data from one or moreusers. In other exemplary embodiments, the I/O devices 220 may serve asthe sound interface and/or the camera interface to present informationto a user and capture information from a device's environment includinginstructions from the device's user. As additional examples, inputcomponents may include an accelerometer (e.g., for movement detection),a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone (e.g., for sounddetection), an infrared sensor, an optical sensor, and a GPS receiver.

In exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology, the financialservice provider system 120 may include any number of hardware and/orsoftware applications that are executed to facilitate any of theoperations. In example implementations, one or more I/O interfacesfacilitate communication between the financial service provider system120 and one or more input/output devices. For example, a universalserial bus port, a serial port, a disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, and/or oneor more user interface devices, such as a display, keyboard, keypad,mouse, control panel, touch screen display, microphone, etc., mayfacilitate user interaction with the computing device. The one or moreI/O interfaces may be utilized to receive or collect data and/or userinstructions from a wide variety of input devices. Received data may beprocessed by one or more computer processors as desired in variousimplementations of the disclosed technology and/or stored in one or morememory devices.

While the financial service provider terminal 120 has been described asone form for implementing the techniques described herein, those havingordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other, functionallyequivalent techniques may be employed. For example, as known in the art,some or all of the functionality implemented via executable instructionsmay also be implemented using firmware and/or hardware devices such asapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logicarrays, state machines, etc. Furthermore, other implementations of theterminal 120 may include a greater or lesser number of components thanthose illustrated.

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a method of using a silent transactionterminal alert system, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown,the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) mayreceive 310 an authentication request to complete a transaction at atransaction terminal from the user device 110. In some embodiments, theauthentication request may include (1) a fingerprint scan obtained viathe user device 110 and (2) financial account data for a financialaccount associated with the user device 110. The fingerprint scanobtained with the user device may correspond to one of a plurality ofstored fingerprints associated with the user device 110. The storedfingerprints associated with the user device 110 may include a storednormal fingerprint scan (e.g., a right index finger), a storedunder-duress fingerprint scan (e.g., a left index finger and/or a rightring finger) for triggering an under-duress transaction signal, and astored cancellation fingerprint scan (e.g., a left and/or right pinkyfinger) for cancelling the under-duress transaction signal. In thismanner, a group of one or more fingerprints may be assigned to exactlyone type of fingerprint scan (e.g., normal, under-duress, orcancellation fingerprint scans) so there is one finger cannot be usedfor multiple signals. In other embodiments, the same finger (or fingersfrom the same predetermined group) can be scanned multiple times insuccession to trigger and/or cancel and under-duress transaction signal.For example, scanning a user's left index finger once may trigger theunder-duress transaction signal and then scanning the same finger againmay trigger the cancellation of the under-duress transaction signal. Inother embodiments when the user device 110 is capable of detecting theuser's heartbeat rate, the authentication request may also includedetected heartbeat rate data and the system 100 (e.g., via the financialservice provider system 120) may compare the detected heartbeat rateupon receiving a fingerprint scan associated with triggering theunder-duress transaction signal with another heartbeat rate associatedwith the user (e.g., a “normal” heartbeat rate detected during accountsetup or an average heartbeat detected during a plurality of priornormal transaction fingerprint scans). In such embodiments, the system100 may only trigger the under-duress transaction signal upon (a)determining that the appropriate finger was scanned and (b) determiningthat the detected heartbeat rate exceeds a predetermined heartbeatthreshold. When the detected heartbeat rate does not exceed thepredetermined heartbeat threshold, the system may prompt the user torescan the fingerprint to confirm that user intends to trigger theunder-duress transaction signal and is not inadvertently scanning thewrong finger. The financial account data may include, for example, anaccount number, a routing number, an account type (e.g., savings,checking, etc.), and the identity of the financial service providerhosting the account.

After receiving the authentication request to complete a transaction atthe transaction terminal 130, the system 100 (e.g., via the financialservice provider system 120) may determine 320 whether the fingerprintscan in the authentication request matches, beyond a predeterminedthreshold (e.g., 99% confidence threshold or another threshold set byfinancial service provider to ensure secure transactions), to a storedfingerprint scan associated with the user device 110. The storedfingerprint scans may include a stored normal fingerprint scan, a storedunder-duress fingerprint scan for triggering an under-duress transactionsignal, and a stored cancellation fingerprint scan for cancelling theunder-duress transaction signal. Responsive to determining that thefingerprint scan in the request does not match the stored fingerprintscan (or that the “match” does not exceed the predetermined threshold),the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) maydirect 322 the user device to display a fingerprint rescan message.Alternatively, responsive to determining that the fingerprint scan inthe request matches one of the stored fingerprint, the system 100 (e.g.,via the financial service provider system 120) may determine 330 whetherthe transaction is being made under duress. For example, if thefingerprint scan of the request matches, beyond a predeterminedconfidence threshold, to the stored under-duress fingerprint scan, thismay trigger the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providersystem 120) to respond to a transaction under-duress by waiting 340 fora predetermined cancellation time period (e.g., 15 seconds). In someembodiments, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providersystem 120) may silently notify (e.g., via vibration of the user device110 or message for display on the user device 110 and/or the transactionterminal 130) the user that the transaction under-duress signal will betriggered once the predetermined cancellation time period lapses. Thepurpose of the cancellation period may be to allow the user to cancelthe under-duress transaction signal by providing, via the user device110, the stored cancellation fingerprint scan if the under-duressfingerprint scan in the request was made in error (e.g., the user forgotor inadvertently scanned the wrong finger). Alternatively, the system100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may determine330 that the transaction is not being conducted under-duress when thefingerprint scan in the authentication request is determined to match,beyond the predetermined threshold, the stored normal fingerprint scanand, in response, direct the transaction terminal 130 to complete thetransaction 390.

During the predetermined cancellation time period of block 340 (inresponse to a positive indication of a transaction under-duress in block330, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system120) may receive (e.g., from the user device 110) a new fingerprint scan350 to either confirm or cancel an under-duress transaction. In responseto receiving the stored cancellation fingerprint scan at block 350, thesystem 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) maycancel 352 the under-duress signal and notify the user device 110 thatthe under-duress transaction has been cancelled. Further, the system 100(e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may direct thetransaction terminal 130 to complete the transaction 390.

In response to not receiving a new fingerprint scan and determining thatit matches the stored cancellation fingerprint scan at block 350 withinthe predetermined cancellation time, the system 100 (e.g., via thefinancial service provider system 120) may trigger protocol for anunder-duress transaction. For example, in some embodiments, the system100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may be furtherconfigured to direct the user device 110 to silently activate, for apredetermined recording time, audio recording components of the userdevice 110, video recording components of the user device 110, or both.In other embodiments, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial serviceprovider system 120) may direct the user device 110 to display a codedmessage based on pre-transaction user input in response to activation ofone or more of the audio or video recording components of the userdevice 110. This may be advantageous to notify the user when the videoand audio recordings have been automatically triggered in response to anunder-duress transaction. Since the coded message is based onpre-transaction user input, the user may notice the coded message andunderstand its meaning while a third party would not understand themeaning of the coded message even if the third party noticed it. Infurther embodiments, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial serviceprovider system 120) may direct the user device 110 to silently providea confirmation notification of the under-duress transaction signal. Theconfirmation notification of the under-duress transaction signal maytake the form of a vibration signal of the user device 110. In otherembodiments, the confirmation notification of the under-duresstransaction signal may take the form of a non-discreet icon that pops upon the user's mobile device. In some embodiments, the user may beequipped with a wearable device (e.g., smart glasses) and theconformation notification of the under-duress transaction signal mayconsist of a visual alert to the wearable device. In some embodimentsthe transaction terminal 130 and nearby transaction terminal 140 mayinclude an ATM terminal and a nearby ATM terminal respectively. In otherembodiments, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providersystem 120) may (a) direct the transaction terminal (e.g., an ATM) toactivate one or more of its audiovisual recording systems and (b) directat least one nearby transaction terminal (e.g., another ATM) within apredetermined range of the transaction terminal to activate one or moreof its audiovisual recording systems. In further embodiments, the system100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may direct theuser device 110 to silently display a coded message based on apre-transaction under input indicating a confirmation of theunder-duress signal. For example, a user of the system 100 may input acoded word prior to the transaction which, in the case of a transactionunder duress will be displayed on the user device 110 to indicate to theuser that he or she has successfully activated the under-duresstransaction, assuring the user that law enforcement will soon arrive atthe transaction terminal 130 to provide assistance.

In block 360, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providerterminal 120 or the user device 110) may send an alert notification tothe law enforcement device 150. The alert notification may include thelocation of the transaction terminal 120 and the GPS data obtained fromthe user device 110, enabling law enforcement to quickly locate the userduring an under-duress transaction. In some embodiments, the system 100(e.g., via the financial service provider terminal 120 or the userdevice 110) may additionally send an alert notification to securityguards who may be employed by the transaction terminal 130 provider.

In block 370, the system 100 (e.g., via financial service providersystem 120) may direct the transaction terminal 130 to delay thetransaction for a predetermined wait time and may adjust the wait timeor enable a user to delay the wait time, as described in more detailwith respect to FIG. 4. For example, as shown in block 372, the system100 (e.g., via financial service provider system 120) may obtain GPSdata from the user device 110. In turn, as previously described withrespect to sending an alert notification to the law enforcement device150 in block 360, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial serviceprovider system 120) may send the GPS data to the law enforcement device150 as part of the alert notification.

Then, in block 373, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial serviceprovider 120) may optionally determine an estimated travel time for lawenforcement (e.g., associated with law enforcement device 150) to arriveat the transaction terminal 130 and/or to the user device 110. Forexample, the system 100 may use an online travel/directions service toestimate a travel time (e.g., using real-time or historical trafficdata) or it may have stored estimated travel times associated withvarious transaction terminals and nearby law enforcement stations anddetermine which stored estimated travel time applies based on the GPSdata and/or the position of the transaction terminal. In block 374, thesystem 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) maydetermine an appropriate predetermined wait time from a list ofpotential predetermined wait times. The appropriate predetermined waittime may be based on GPS data obtained from the user device 110 as wellas the estimated travel time determined in block 373. In someembodiments, the appropriate predetermined wait time (e.g., 4 minutes)may balance the estimated travel time (e.g., 6 minutes) with a realistictime window for processing the transaction (e.g., 2 minutes) so as notto alert the third party. The system 100 (e.g., via the financialservice provider system 120) may tactfully delay the transaction so asnot to draw the attention of the third party via decoy or fake prompts(e.g., to rescan the fingerprint, system processing, enter or re-enterpassword, etc.) that take time to complete but do not impact thetransaction.

Optionally, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providersystem 120) may receive 375 a suggested wait time extension. Forexample, the system 100 may provide the appropriate predetermined waittime (e.g., 4 minutes) as part of the alert notification sent to the lawenforcement device 150 and, in response, receive a suggested wait timeextension (e.g., 1 minute) from the law enforcement device 150. Lawenforcement personnel may have more expertise and insight on theirresponse time based on traffic, proximity of other law enforcementpersonnel, etc. In some embodiments, the suggested wait time extensionmay be a negative duration (e.g., −1 minute), such as when lawenforcement personnel expects to arrive earlier than the estimate traveltime. In block 376, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial serviceprovider system 120) may optionally adjust the predetermined wait timebased on the suggested predetermined wait time extension. Finally, thesystem 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) maydirect the transaction terminal 130 to delay the transaction theadjusted predetermined wait time.

Returning to block 380 of FIG. 4, after directing the transactionterminal 130 to delay the transaction for the predetermined wait time(or the adjusted predetermined wait time), the system 100 (e.g., via thefinancial service provider system 120) may send 380 an alertnotification to an attendant proximate the transaction terminal (e.g.,to a merchant or cashier at a POS terminal). This may allow the merchantto take action to assist the user and/or to avoid other customers frominterfering in a manner that would increase the risk for the user,another customer, or the merchant.

Once the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system120) has directed 370 the transaction terminal to delay the transactionfor a predetermined wait time (or the adjusted predetermined wait time)and that wait time has expired, it may direct 390 the transactionterminal 130 to complete the transaction. Importantly, regardless ofwhether the system 100 is processing a normal transaction or atransaction under duress, the transaction terminal 130 will be directedto complete the transaction (e.g., issue the funds being withdrawn) soas not to alert the third party assailant that law enforcement has beennotified.

EXEMPLARY USE CASES

The following exemplary use case describes just one example of a typicaluser flow pattern. It is intended solely for explanatory purposes andnot in limitation. In this example, a user may wish to make a purchaseat a POS terminal 130. While in the checkout line at their favoriteelectronics big-box store, the user may be confronted by an assailantwith the purpose of coercing the user to make a purchase on behalf ofthe assailant. To avoid unnecessarily escalating the confrontation, itmay be advantageous for the user to silently alert the properauthorities without providing any indication of such to the assailant.To accomplish this objective, the user may proceed with initiating thetransaction, starting with scanning the user's fingerprint and sendingit as part of an authentication request (e.g., via the user device 110)to complete a transaction at the POS terminal 130. In turn, the system100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may receivethe user's authentication request and determine whether the fingerprintscan matches one of the stored fingerprint scans associated with theuser device 110. That is, the user may have stored fingerprint scans ofhis index finger, ring finger, and pinky finger ahead of theconfrontation, and the system 100 may determine whether the receivedfingerprint scan matches any of those stored fingerprint scans. Becausethe user is being coerced by his assailant for purposes of this example,the provided fingerprint should match the stored under-duressfingerprint scan. In response to matching the user's stored under-duressfingerprint, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providersystem 120) may silently notify the user (e.g., by a series ofvibrations of the user device 110 known to the user but not theassailant) that an under-duress alert signal will be triggered andinitiate a predetermined cancellation time period to allow the user tocancel an under-duress alert signal (e.g., in case the wrong finger wasscanned by mistake). Here, the user intended to trigger the under-duressalert signal and elects not to provide another fingerprint scan. Inresponse, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service providersystem 120) may direct the POS terminal 103 or another merchant deviceassociated with the POS terminal (e.g., a display screen for a merchantoverseeing several POS terminals) to display a silent alert notificationindicating that the transaction is occurring under duress. Notifying theparticipating merchant may be helpful in protecting the user, themerchant, and other customers.

Next, the system 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system120) may silently provide a confirmation to the user indicating that theuser has successfully activated an under-duress transaction. This maytake the form of another silent vibration alert of the user device 110,or in other embodiments, a coded message based on a pre-transaction userinput for display on the user device 110. In some embodiments, thesystem 100 (e.g., via the financial service provider system 120 and/orthe user device 120) may send an alert notification to the lawenforcement device 150. The alert notification sent to law enforcementmay include one or more of GPS data obtained from the user device 110,an estimated travel time for law enforcement to arrive at the POSterminal 130 or user device 110, and an appropriate predetermined waittime determined by the system 100. Law enforcement may, in turn, suggestextending the wait time to allow more (or less) time for law enforcementpersonnel to arrive. Factoring in any suggested predetermined wait timeextension from law enforcement, the system 100 (e.g., via the financialservice provider system 120) may adjust the wait time and direct the POSterminal 130 to delay the transaction for the adjusted predeterminedwait time. Meanwhile, as the user waits for law enforcement to arrive onthe scene, it may be advantageous for the user device 110, the POSterminal 130, and/or nearby POS terminals to automatically beginrecording audio, video, or both in an effort to document theunder-duress transaction and assist law enforcement. Accordingly, thesystem 100 may direct one or more of the user device 110, POS terminal130, and/or nearby POS terminals 140 to automatically record audioand/or video indefinitely or for a predetermined time window. All thewhile, from the assailant's perspective, the transaction appears normal.If appropriate based on the adjusted predetermined wait time, the system100 may prompt the user with decoy screens to rescan his fingerprint orenter his security question(s) to complete the transaction, which haveno impact on the transaction itself but may help convince the assailantthat the transaction is proceeding normally. In the current example,only the user device 110, the merchant POS terminal 130, and the lawenforcement device 150 may be affirmatively notified of the under-duresstransaction without any indication given to the assailant.

In another exemplary use case, the transaction terminal may be an ATM. Auser may wish to withdraw cash from his financial account, which isassociated with his user device 110. While approaching the ATM, the userencounters an assailant and wishes to trigger an under-duresstransaction alert. To do this, the user would scan his finger associatedwith his stored under-duress fingerprint, and provide that fingerprintscan as part of a authentication request. If the user discovers that theassailant is in fact harmless, the user may deactivate the under-duresstransaction during a cancellation time period. Otherwise, the system 100(e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may proceed withalerting law enforcement of the under-duress transaction. As part ofthis, in some embodiments, the system 100 (e.g., via the financialservice provider system 120) may direct the user device 110, the ATM130, and/or any nearby ATMs 140 to activate their audiovisual recordingsystems to capture video and/or audio footage of the transaction toassist law enforcement. Additionally, as described above, the system 100(e.g., via the financial service provider system 120) may direct the ATM130 to delay the transaction for a predetermined or adjusted wait time,and may prompt the user with decoy or fake screens on the user device110 or the ATM to discretely delay the transaction in a manner that doesnot draw the attention of the assailant and allows law enforcement toarrive at the scene.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system”and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such asbut not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. For example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor,an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or acomputer. By way of illustration, both an application running on acomputing device and the computing device can be a component. One ormore components can reside within a process and/or thread of executionand a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributedbetween two or more computers. In addition, these components can executefrom various computer readable media having various data structuresstored thereon. The components may communicate by way of local and/orremote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or moredata packets, such as data from one component interacting with anothercomponent in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a networksuch as the Internet with other systems by way of the signal.

Certain implementations of the disclosed technology are described abovewith reference to block and flow diagrams of systems and methods and/orcomputer program products according to example implementations of thedisclosed technology. It will be understood that one or more blocks ofthe block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theblock diagrams and flow diagrams, respectively, can be implemented bycomputer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of theblock diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to beperformed in the order presented, may be repeated, or may notnecessarily need to be performed at all, according to someimplementations of the disclosed technology.

These computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto ageneral-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a processor, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particularmachine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer,processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus create meansfor implementing one or more functions specified in the flow diagramblock or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be storedin a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meansthat implement one or more functions specified in the flow diagram blockor blocks. As an example, implementations of the disclosed technologymay provide for a computer program product, including a computer-usablemedium having a computer-readable program code or program instructionsembodied therein, said computer-readable program code adapted to beexecuted to implement one or more functions specified in the flowdiagram block or blocks. Likewise, the computer program instructions maybe loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to beperformed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer-implemented process such that the instructions that execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide elements or stepsfor implementing the functions specified in the flow diagram block orblocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams supportcombinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of elements or steps for performing the specifiedfunctions, and program instruction means for performing the specifiedfunctions. It will also be understood that each block of the blockdiagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams and flow diagrams, can be implemented by special-purpose,hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions,elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

Throughout the specification and the claims, the following terms take atleast the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. The term “connected” means that onefunction, feature, structure, or characteristic is directly joined to orin communication with another function, feature, structure, orcharacteristic. The term “coupled” means that one function, feature,structure, or characteristic is directly or indirectly joined to or incommunication with another function, feature, structure, orcharacteristic. The term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or.”Further, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean one or moreunless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to asingular form.

In this description, numerous specific details have been set forth. Itis to be understood, however, that implementations of the disclosedtechnology may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not beenshown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of thisdescription. References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “someembodiments,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” “oneimplementation,” “an implementation,” “example implementation,” “variousimplementations,” “some implementations,” etc., indicate that theimplementation(s) of the disclosed technology so described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not everyimplementation necessarily includes the particular feature, structure,or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in oneimplementation” does not necessarily refer to the same implementation,although it may.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinaladjectives “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe a commonobject, merely indicate that different instances of like objects arebeing referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects sodescribed must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, inranking, or in any other manner.

While certain implementations of the disclosed technology have beendescribed in connection with what is presently considered to be the mostpractical and various implementations, it is to be understood that thedisclosed technology is not to be limited to the disclosedimplementations, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope ofthe appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, theyare used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

This written description uses examples to disclose certainimplementations of the disclosed technology, including the best mode,and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice certainimplementations of the disclosed technology, including making and usingany devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. Thepatentable scope of certain implementations of the disclosed technologyis defined in the claims, and may include other examples that occur tothose skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be withinthe scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do notdiffer from the literal language of the claims, or if they includeequivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from theliteral language of the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A transaction terminal silent alert systemcomprising: one or more processors; and a memory in communication withthe one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executedby the one or more processors, are configured to cause the system to:receive, from a user device, an authentication request to complete atransaction at a transaction terminal, the authentication requestcomprising a fingerprint scan obtained via the user device and financialaccount data for a financial account associated with the user device;determine whether the fingerprint scan matches, beyond a predeterminedconfidence threshold, a stored under-duress fingerprint scan fortriggering an under-duress transaction signal or a stored cancellationfingerprint scan for cancelling the under-duress transaction signal;responsive to determining that the fingerprint scan matches the storedunder-duress fingerprint scan: direct the transaction terminal to delaythe transaction a predetermined wait time and send an alert notificationto law enforcement responsive to not receiving a subsequent fingerprintscan from the user device matching the stored cancellation fingerprintscan beyond the predetermined confidence threshold within thepredetermined wait time.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thetransaction terminal is an ATM.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thealert notification sent to law enforcement comprises a location of theATM and GPS data obtained from the user device.
 4. The system of claim3, wherein the alert notification sent to law enforcement furthercomprises an indication of when the predetermined wait time will expire,the system being further configured to: receive, from a law enforcementdevice, a suggested predetermined wait time extension; and adjust thepredetermined wait time based on the suggested predetermined wait timeextension.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein responsive to determiningthat the fingerprint scan matches the stored under-duress fingerprintscan, the system is further configured to direct the ATM to activate oneor more audiovisual recording systems associated with the ATM and todirect at least one of a plurality of nearby ATMs within a predeterminedrange of the ATM to activate one or more nearby audiovisual recordingsystems associated with the at least one nearby ATM.
 6. The system ofclaim 2, wherein responsive to determining that the fingerprint scanmatches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan, the system is furtherconfigured to direct the user device to silently provide a confirmationnotification of the under-duress transaction signal, the confirmationnotification comprising a predetermined vibration signal.
 7. The systemof claim 2, wherein responsive to determining that the fingerprint scanmatches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan, the system is furtherconfigured to direct the user device to silently display a coded messagebased on a pre-transaction user input, the coded message representing aconfirmation of the under-duress transaction signal.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein responsive to determining that the fingerprint scanmatches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan, the system is furtherconfigured to direct the user device to silently activate, for apredetermined record time, one or more of an audio recording componentof the user device and a video recording component of the user device.9. The system of claim 8, wherein activation of one or more of the audiorecording system and the video recording system is performed withoutproviding a visual indication.
 10. The system of claim 8, whereinactivation of one or more of the audio recording system and the videorecording system comprises directing the user device to display a codedmessage based on pre-transaction user input.
 11. The system of claim 1,wherein the transaction terminal is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. 12.An alert system for a transaction terminal, the system comprising: oneor more processors; and a memory in communication with the one or moreprocessors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one ormore processors, are configured to cause the system to: receive, from auser device, an authentication request to complete a transaction at thetransaction terminal, the authentication request comprising afingerprint scan obtained via the user device; determine whether thefingerprint scan matches a stored under-duress fingerprint scan forsending an under-duress signal or a stored cancellation fingerprint scanfor cancelling the under-duress signal; responsive to matching thefingerprint scan with the stored under-duress fingerprint scan and notreceiving any subsequent fingerprint scan that matches the cancellationfingerprint scan within a predetermined cancellation time period: sendan alert notification to law enforcement; determine an estimated traveltime for law enforcement to arrive at the transaction terminal; anddirect the transaction terminal to delay the transaction for apredetermined wait time based on the estimated travel time.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the transaction terminal is a point-of-sale(POS) terminal and, responsive to matching the fingerprint scan with thestored under-duress fingerprint scan, the system is further configuredto direct the POS terminal to display a silent alert notificationindicating that the transaction is occurring under duress.
 14. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the transaction terminal is an ATM and thealert notification sent to law enforcement comprises a location of theATM and GPS data received from the user device.
 15. The system of claim14, wherein the alert notification sent to law enforcement furthercomprises an indication of when the predetermined wait time will expire,the system being further configured to: receive, from a law enforcementdevice, a suggested predetermined wait time extension; and adjust thepredetermined wait time based on the suggested predetermined wait timeextension.
 16. A method for triggering a silent alert for anunder-duress transaction at a transaction terminal, the methodcomprising: receiving, from a user device, an authentication request tocomplete a transaction at the transaction terminal, the transactionauthentication request comprising a fingerprint scan obtained via theuser device; determining whether the fingerprint scan matches a storedunder-duress fingerprint scan corresponding to an under-duresstransaction signal or a stored cancellation fingerprint scan forcancelling the under-duress transaction signal; when the fingerprintscan matches the stored under-duress fingerprint scan and a subsequentfingerprint scan matching the stored cancelation fingerprint scan is notreceived within a predetermined cancellation time period: obtaining GPSdata from the user device; sending an alert notification to lawenforcement; directing the transaction terminal to delay the transactionfor a predetermined wait time based on the GPS data; and directing oneor more of the transaction terminal and the user mobile device toactivate one or more recording systems.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the transaction terminal comprises one or more of an ATM and apoint-of-sale (POS) terminal.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thealert notification sent to law enforcement comprises a location of thetransaction terminal and the GPS data obtained from the user device. 19.The method of claim 17 further comprising, responsive to determiningthat the fingerprint scan matches the stored under-duress fingerprintscan, directing the user device to activate one or more recordingcomponents of the user device without providing auditory or visualfeedback.
 20. The method of claim 17 further comprising determining anestimated travel time for law enforcement to arrive at the transactionterminal, wherein directing the transaction terminal to delay thetransaction further comprises: determining an appropriate predeterminedwait time from a list of potential predetermined wait times based on theGPS data and the estimated travel time; directing the transactionterminal to display one or more predetermined messages associated withthe appropriate determined wait time, the one or more predeterminedmessages comprising at least one fake login routine that requires userinput to proceed.